Lane Limited Hayward Mixture

*Note: As mentioned by "Bat", Hayward Mixture was indeed a blend with more than a hint of Latakia, a rather full-bodied pipe tobacco, manufactured by or for the Moss & Lowenhaupt company on Olive St. in downtown Saint Louis. The firm went back to before the American Civil War and was a classic "cigar store" but catering as much or more to pipe smokers as to cigar smokers. It was a classic, old-fashioned shop with dark wood counters, a constant open flame for lighting up within the shop and fellows in ties or bow-ties & often vests as well serving behind the counters. The shop also sold Battleforce smoking tobacco, as well as Charring Cross pipe mixture. One could buy Hayward Mixture in a pouch wrapped in cellophane or a in rather well-made tin with a handy attached lever, which held a much larger quantity of tobacco. The tins were seldom tossed out, as they were colorful and very sturdy, acquiring many other uses after the tobacco had been smoked. The tobacco products, including Hayward Mixture were marketed elsewhere & I often found that particular blend for sale well beyond St. Louis.

Alas, in spite of its long history, the store went out of business in the early or mid-1960s, a victim of the deteriorating downtown area & changing trends with regard to smoking. Thus, anyone encountering Hayward Mixture tobacco a decade or so later, would hardly have a legitimate complaint because the tobacco would no longer bear testimony to the original smoking mixture. It was quite definitely a well-crafted blend with a strong flavor of Latakia and definitely not to be confused with "Old Fencepost" or some of the other bottom-end tobacco products, often aimed at the roll-your-own crowd.